America's Most-Searched Skincare Ingredients, Ranked

#1 Most-Searched: Peptides

Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream

The ingredient America searches for most

Peptides: the most-searched skincare ingredient in the US, and Okoaskin's hero active. IDEALIFT is the peptide in the Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream.

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✓ Expert Reviewed

Written ByAshley MangtaniContent Writer

Reviewed ByLindi GraceR&D Cosmetic Chemist

Last updated August 20, 2026 · Data pulled April 13, 2026

Okoaskin analyzed over five years of Google search data to determine which skincare ingredients Americans search for most, and how dramatically the landscape has shifted since 2020.

Data pulled: April 13, 2026. Okoaskin updates this page as new data periods become available.

State scores reflect the most recent 12-month period. National volume data reflects 2020-early 2026.

Peptides now dominate American skincare interest by a wide margin nationally - and at the state level, peptide serum has overtaken retinol serum to lead in 18 states, up from 11 in Okoaskin's previous data pull.

Jump to your state ↓

The Full Rankings (2026)

Okoaskin tracked monthly search volumes for [ingredient] skincare queries across 13 popular skincare ingredients. This format isolates skincare-specific intent.

#1 Most-Searched · Okoaskin Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream - built on IDEALIFT, from the peptide class that tops this ranking, number one by a wide margin. IDEALIFT is the peptide in the Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream. $44.88 Subscribe & Save $61.90 · Save 28% Shop the Lifting Cream

A bare search like peptides includes fitness, bodybuilding, and supplement queries that have nothing to do with skincare. Adding skincare to each ingredient narrows the results to consumers researching ingredients for their skin.

Here's where they stand in early 2026 (January-February averages):

To put peptides' lead in perspective: 82,250 monthly searches is more than every other tracked ingredient combined. The other twelve ingredients on this list add up to about 44,970 a month. Peptides nearly doubles that.

How the Rankings Changed: 2020 vs 2026

Six years ago, the skincare ingredient landscape looked very different.

Peptides barely registered in 2020 with just 172 monthly searches, ranking near the bottom of Okoaskin's list. By 2023 it had overtaken every other ingredient to reach #1 with 10,300 monthly searches, and has continued to accelerate since.

Vitamin C dropped from #3 to #5 despite maintaining relatively stable search volumes. It didn't decline - it was simply passed by ingredients growing much faster.

Year-Over-Year Growth (2024 to 2025)

To avoid skewing from partial 2026 data, Okoaskin compared full-year averages from 2024 and 2025:

In Okoaskin's comparison of 2024 and 2025 full-year search averages, hyaluronic acid posted the largest increase at +409%, consistent with its resurgence after several years of declining interest. Tretinoin saw the sharpest decline in the same dataset at -53%, and collagen fell 19%.

The Full Historical Picture (2020-2026)

*2026 figures are based on January-February 2026 only.

Which Skincare Ingredient Does Your State Search For Most?

Separately from the national rankings above, Okoaskin analyzed Google search interest for five skincare serum keywords across all 50 states and Washington DC.

All five keywords use the same product format - [ingredient] serum - for a consistent, like-for-like comparison of purchase and research intent.

State scores use relative search interest (0-100), population-normalized by Google. A score in Wyoming is directly comparable to a score in California regardless of population size.

The keywords: retinol serum, hyaluronic acid serum, peptide serum, vitamin C serum, niacinamide serum.

States scoring 0 for a keyword had insufficient search volume for that ingredient to register in Google's data for that period.

The National Map: Which Ingredient Leads in How Many States

Peptide serum now leads in 18 states - up from 11 in Okoaskin's previous data. It has overtaken retinol serum as the most widely dominant ingredient across US states, gaining ground in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, and others.

Retinol serum still holds 14 states, anchored by Hawaii (score: 100) and Iowa (76). Niacinamide serum gained ground too, rising from 9 to 12 states, with Rhode Island the notable flip.

Every State's Skincare Ingredient Profile

Scores represent relative search interest (0-100), population-normalized. A higher score means residents of that state search for that ingredient at a higher rate per capita.

Each state's #1 ingredient score is highlighted.

*DC: multiple ingredients tied at 100. Maryland: vitamin C serum and niacinamide serum both score 41; niacinamide serum listed as #1 by convention. Ohio: retinol serum and niacinamide serum tied at 35. ↑ indicates a change since the previous data pull.

Standout States

Regional Patterns

Peptide serum is taking the coasts. California (42), Connecticut (37), New York (63), New Jersey (62), Oregon (38), and North Carolina (40) all now have peptide serum as their top product search - all states that previously leaned retinol serum.

Retinol serum retreats to the interior and the islands. Hawaii (100), Iowa (76), Massachusetts (61), Pennsylvania (54), South Carolina (50), South Dakota (64), New Mexico (58), Utah (58), Michigan (41), and Louisiana (43) still favor retinol serum. These are some of the country's most committed retinol-serum states.

The South is America's niacinamide belt. Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, and West Virginia all have niacinamide serum as their most-searched skincare product. Delaware and Vermont, though outside the South, post even higher niacinamide serum scores at 55, above Texas's 45.

The biggest story in this window: peptide serum has arrived at the mass market. When peptide serum led only 11 states, it was possible to argue it was a coastal or urban trend. At 18 states - including Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, and Alaska - it's no longer a niche product preference. Peptide serum is going mainstream.

Peptides topping the list is not only a search-trend story. It is the active class Okoaskin built its Dual Action Lifting Cream around: IDEALIFT, a lipopeptide its maker describes as stimulating the coordinated synthesis of the proteins that make up elastic fibers.

Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream

The peptide behind the #1 search term

✓ Peptide-Powered Firming ✓ 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee ✓ Vegan & Cruelty-Free

Peptides top this ranking, number one by a wide margin. IDEALIFT is the one Okoaskin builds on. In IDEALIFT-maker Sederma's two-month, placebo-controlled study, 80% reported firmer-looking skin (supplier evidence, not independent research).

IDEALIFT is the peptide in the Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream, and the Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream is $44.88 on subscription ($61.90 one-time) with a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Subscribe & Save$44.88 · 28% off · free shipping One-Time Purchase$61.90

Okoaskin Dual Action Lifting Cream · IDEALIFT $44.88 $61.90 Shop now